Unveiling of monuments, battle reconstruction, and a youth festival. Vitebsk celebrated its 1043rd anniversary on a grand scale

Today, it is impossible to say on which exact day over a millennium ago the city on the Dvina was founded, but one would like to think it was warm and sunny. And joyful, like that day in 1944 when Soviet soldiers marched through the city streets liberated from the Nazi invaders. It is to this date – June 26 – that Vitebsk has timed its birthday. And it celebrates it on the weekend closest to this date.

Guests with Gifts

The celebrations began last Friday with a reception of guests. At the reception of official delegations from twin cities and partners, and representatives of various regions of Belarus, the Chairman of the Vitebsk City Executive Committee, Viktor Nikolaikin, thanked everyone for responding to the invitation to share the holiday with their old and new friends.

In his speech about the past and present of the regional center, Viktor Pavlovich paid special attention to economic and social cooperation with twin cities. The close ties between Vitebsk and Smolensk serve as an example of fraternal relations. For the first four months of the current year, the trade turnover between the two regions amounted to 27 million dollars. With Latvia – almost 7 million dollars, with Armenia – 255 thousand: a small figure, but compared to last year, it has grown more than 6 times.

In their response, guests from Rezekne and Daugavpils (Latvia), Smolensk, Pskov, Astrakhan, and the Beloyarsky District of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug – Yugra (Russia), and Vanadzor (Armenia) stated that ties with Vitebsk would strengthen in the future and presented gifts to the hosts as a token of friendship and partnership. These included a colorful large fabric painting created by Armenian artisans, unique printed publications, and picturesque canvases.

All delegation members, along with the city leadership, participated in laying flowers at the bust of Pyotr Masherov, a native of Vitebsk region, Hero of the Soviet Union and Socialist Labor, and former head of the country. Every year on its birthday, the city pays tribute to the glorious people who have earned the respect of their descendants.

A Gift of "Dazhynki"

Another tradition is the honoring of laureates of the "Vitebsk Citizen of the Year" title. These are ten of the most deserving residents of the city who have earned special honor through their labor and creative achievements. Among them are Olympic champion trampolinist Vladislav Goncharov and his coach Olga Vlasova, Director of OJSC "Vitebsk Radio Components Plant "Monolit" Akif Gasymov, and artist and Great Patriotic War veteran Alexander Solovyov. Several Vitebsk residents were awarded honorary diplomas of the regional executive committee. Before the award ceremony, the residents of Vitebsk were congratulated by the Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee, Nikolai Sherstnev, on the stage of the Summer Amphitheater.

"We thought about what gift to present to Vitebsk to make it significant and for the citizens to say thank you. The transfer of the experimental base "Tulovo" to the regional center became a kind of hint towards it. In 1.5 years, the city has proven that it can successfully engage in agriculture and thus claim the holiday of rural workers. Therefore, the decision has been made to hold "Dazhynki" in Vitebsk in 2020."

There is time to think about which social and production projects should be implemented. The main goal is to make the city on the Dvina even more beautiful, comfortable for residents and attractive for tourists, – said the head of the region.

The audience of many thousands greeted this news with applause, and the chairman of the city executive committee, Viktor Nikolaikin, thanking for the gift, noted that this was a long-standing wish, and added with humor: perhaps Old Man Khottabych and the goldfish, whose sculptural compositions were installed in Vitebsk the day before, helped in its realization.

 

Khottabych and the "Fish"         

The fairy-tale character of our countryman, writer Lazar Lagin, will from now on greet the residents and guests of the northern capital of Belarus on Pushkin Street near the "Lialka" theater, loved by children.

By the way, the house where the Vitebsk fairy-tale writer was born was opposite – across the Vitba River, on Tolstoy Street. The author of the bronze sculptural composition "Old Man Khottabych" is Sergey Sotnikov. A legend was born immediately at its opening: if you rub the jug at the feet of the magician, your wish will come true. By the way, Viktor Nikolaikin was one of the first to do this, and, as you can see, one wish has come true.

But with the "Fish", which appeared at the place where the Vitba flows into the Dvina, you can make three wishes at once, which was done first by newlyweds Victoria and Sergey Drozdov. The couple was congratulated by the chairman of the regional council Vladimir Terentyev and the head of the registry office department of the city executive committee Galina Guseva, who presented the young couple with a special certificate indicating that the couple registered their marriage in the year of the 100th anniversary of the registry office.

The "Little Fish," which, according to the sculptor Ivan Kazak's idea, emerged from the Dvina River with a key to the city, has multiple meanings. It is a well-known symbol of the Christian church (a women's Orthodox monastery is located nearby), a sign of happiness and abundance. It also serves as a reminder that Alexander Pushkin, the famous author of "The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish," traveled through Vitebsk.

Near the monument to the poet on Pushkin Square, a literary festival was held, dedicated to the 500th anniversary of Belarusian printing. Handwritten books made by library staff attracted attention. Actors from the Kolas Theater, writers, and schoolchildren also performed here. Craftsmen organized an exhibition of folk art, which was attended by guests from the Beloyarsky district, who presented ancient crafts, as well as the folklore of the peoples of the Far North.

On a New Route

A gift for Vitebsk Day was the opening of a new trolleybus route No. 11, connecting the Medtsentr microdistrict with the central part of the city and the railway station. Its length is 16.5 km. The total length of the trolleybus line in the regional center is 53 km, and this mode of transport carries about 35 million passengers annually.

As explained by Vasily Pavlyuchkov, director of the Vitebsk Tram and Trolleybus Administration, initially there will be 4 units on the route, with a headway of 15 minutes. However, if the passenger traffic is high, more vehicles will be added. In the future, it is planned to purchase 20 new trolleybuses of Belarusian production.

An Episode from the Past

One of the vivid episodes of the festive program, which takes us back to the heroic past of the city, was the reconstruction of a fragment of the battle for the bridge over the Western Dvina, which the Nazi troops leaving Vitebsk intended to blow up. The operation, which took place at night on June 26, 1944, was led by the commander of the sapper platoon of the 875th Rifle Regiment (158th Rifle Division, 39th Army, 3rd Belorussian Front), Senior Sergeant Fyodor Blokhin.

For its successful completion, Senior Sergeant Blokhin was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and in 1964, on the 20th anniversary of the city's liberation, he was granted the status of honorary citizen of Vitebsk, and the bridge was later named after the hero.

The events of 73 years ago were recreated by Belarusian historical reenactment clubs from Vitebsk, Novopolotsk, Minsk, Mogilev, as well as their Russian friends from Smolensk and Pskov. True, the action took place not on the Blokhin Bridge, but in Frunze Park, but the participants of the "battle," albeit on a smaller scale, tried to reproduce one of the episodes of the city's liberation as accurately as possible.

The reenactors from Smolensk brought pyrotechnics used at Mosfilm. The spectacle was very realistic, like a documentary film brought to life. By the way, the Vitebsk military historical reenactment association "Comrades in Arms" participated in the filming of the movies "Stalingrad," "Dnieper Frontier," "The Pope," and others.

In the style of retro and youth

Vitebsk celebrated its birthday with a flourish, with festive events unfolding at various venues across the city, but the main one was Victory Square. Here, on Saturday, the traditional "Autoretro" exhibition took place, featuring owners of vintage cars from Novopolotsk, Mogilev, Grodno, Minsk, Smolensk, and, of course, the city on the Daugava. The oldest car was a 1955 Moskvich, owned by Vladimir Lonsky from Novopolotsk.

Nearby, a contest for baby strollers and chalk drawings on the asphalt was held, along with a celebration of the city newspaper "Vitbichi." The concert and entertainment program, featuring Belarusian artists, lasted until dark. After its conclusion, the sky above the city was illuminated by a colorful fireworks display.

Youth Day began sportingly on Sunday. Participants of a citywide bike ride were welcomed on the main square. Crossfit competitions, including light and heavy athletics, gymnastics, and acrobatics, generated significant interest. Many were eager to do pull-ups on the horizontal bar or play laser tag. The rain did not hinder the dance competition or the DJ battle. Young, energetic, and creative individuals dedicated their sporting and creative victories to their beloved city.

Tatsiana Pasternak. Photo by Dzmitry Osipau. "Vitsiebskiya Naviny".